Inlet air flow guide for ACDX fan coil

Abstract

An inlet air flow guide for a condensing unit of an air cooled direct expansion (ACDX) air conditioning unit. The flow guide has a panel having at least a portion spaced from a surface of the condensing unit to define a plenum for cooling air to enter the condensing unit from one side. A condensing unit of an ACDX air conditioning unit has a refrigerant cooling coil disposed in an opening, and the inlet air flow guide defines a plenum to provide an air flow passage to the opening from one side thereof. According to a method, the inlet air flow guide is installed onto the condensing unit of an ACDX air conditioning unit, wherein a panel of the flow guide has at least a portion spaced from a surface of the condensing unit to define a plenum for cooling air to enter the condensing unit from one side.

I claim: 
     
       1. An inlet air flow router for a condenser unit of an air cooled direct expansion air conditioning unit comprising an evaporator coil disposed in an air handling unit for cooling one or more rooms inside a building and a refrigerant cooling coil located external to the building being cooled, disposed within a unit housing comprising a front face and a plurality of sides, behind a fenestration disposed in at least one of a plurality of side upright housing panels of the unit housing, and a top mounted exhaust fan disposed below an upper surface of the unit housing which draws outside cooling air into the unit housing through the fenestration and through the refrigerant cooling coil and discharges exhaust air from the unit housing as an upward exhaust stream, comprising:
 a horizontal cooling air plenum formed by spacing an imperforate upright wall panel outwardly from one of the side upright housing panels and connecting the imperforate upright wall panel at a top and bottom thereof to the side upright housing panel forming a continuous cooling air flow path between the fenestration and a plenum opening arranged parallel to the front face of the condensing unit located at an end of the horizontal plenum proximate to the front face, such that the top mounted exhaust fan draws outside cooling air through the plenum opening and along the cooling air flow path of the cooling air plenum and into the unit housing through the fenestration then through the refrigerant cooling coil to then be discharged as exhaust air from the unit housing as an upward exhaust stream; 
 the inlet air flow router being installable onto at least one of the plurality of side upright housing panels of the unit housing to at least partially cover the fenestration. 
 
     
     
       2. The inlet air flow router of  claim 1 , wherein the unit housing has a rectangular plan with refrigerant cooling coils at three sides and the front face, and wherein the inlet air flow router is secured to the unit housing at the three sides and the front face is open. 
     
     
       3. The inlet air flow router of  claim 2  wherein the horizontal plenum is U-shaped in plan. 
     
     
       4. The inlet air flow router of  claim 2 , wherein the horizontal plenum comprises two plenum openings, each located at opposite ends proximate to the front face. 
     
     
       5. The inlet air flow router of  claim 1 , further comprising a ceiling member, a floor member or a combination thereof extending between the top and bottom, respectively of the imperforate upright wall panel and the side upright housing panel of the unit housing to connect the inlet air flow router to the unit housing. 
     
     
       6. The inlet air flow router of  claim 1 , wherein the imperforate upright wall panel is convex. 
     
     
       7. The inlet air flow router of  claim 1 , wherein the inlet air flow router is dimensioned and arranged to be installable onto, and in contact with at least one of the plurality of side upright housing panels of the unit housing such that the cycle time of the condenser unit is reduced compared to the cycle time of the same condenser unit operated under essentially identical conditions in the absence of the inlet air flow router. 
     
     
       8. The inlet air flow router of  claim 1 , wherein the inlet airflow router is formed integral with at least one of the side upright housing panels. 
     
     
       9. The inlet air flow router of  claim 1 , dimensioned and arranged to be installable onto at least one of the plurality of side upright housing panels of the unit housing to inhibit air entry into the unit housing from a side of the condenser unit such that air is drawn into the unit housing through the plenum opening from a region opposite the front face of the condenser unit. 
     
     
       10. The inlet air flow router of  claim 1 , dimensioned and arranged to be installable onto at least one of the plurality of side upright housing panels of the unit housing such that a portion of the imperforate upright wall panel extends beyond the front face of the unit housing. 
     
     
       11. The inlet air flow router of  claim 1 , dimensioned and arranged to be secured onto at least one of the plurality of side upright housing panels of the unit housing using straps, bolts, adhesives, elastomeric tie down straps, hooks, or a combination thereof.